Thursday, August 3, 2017

Queens Machine wants to have its cake and eat it too

The reelection campaigns of two incumbent members of the New York City Council from the Queens delegation have been beset with questions about their ballot petition signatures. Candidates wishing to appear on the ballots for political parties are required to collect ballot petition signatures from voters registered for those political parties, and the petition signatures must be verified, according to regulations.

Councilmember Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) has been taken to Court by his Democratic Party primary challenger, Paul Graziano. Mr. Graziano has alleged in a legal filing that the reëlection campaign of Councilmember Vallone collected invalid petition signatures. The civil proceeding, before New York State Supreme Court for Queens County, seeks a determination that would restrain the New York City Board of Elections from printing Councilmember Vallone's name on the Democratic Party primary ballot, amongst other relief being sought. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, 8 August at Queens County Civil Courthouse in Jamaica, Queens.

The office of Councilmember Vallone did not answer a request for an interview for this report.

A reporter making an attempt on Wednesday afternoon to inspect at the Queens Borough Office of the Board of Elections the ballot petition signatures collected by Councilmember Vallone's relection committee was turned away and was, instead, referred to an Agency spokesperson. Valerie Vazquez, a spokesperson for the Board of Elections, said that the Agency was reviewing Councilmember Vallone's signatures and would, upon the making of advance request for an appointment, arrange for a reporter to be able to inspect Councilmember's ballot petition signatures. When asked if the Board of Elections could await the outcome of Mr. Graziano's Court proceeding with about six weeks before the date of the Democratic Party primary election, Ms. Vazquez postulated that the Board of Elections could accommodate a Court decision rendered with just one week left before the Democratic Party primary election.

Other advance questions submitted in writing by Progress Queens to the general e-mail account of the Board of Elections were not answered for this report.

Mr. Graziano, who initiated the legal proceedings against the Councilmember Vallone, said that it was important that the public have confidence in campaign committees complying with election system regulations. "We have to make sure that justice is served," Mr. Graziano said.

Mr. Graziano's legal challenge of Councilmember Vallone's ballot petition signatures follows word that the majority of the ballot petition signatures collected for the Independence Party by the reelection committee of another incumbent, Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley (D-Ridgewood), have been invalidated by the Board of Elections, meaning that Councilmember Crowley will not appear on the Independence Party line in the November general election. News of the Board of Elections' determination against Councilmember Crowley was revealed on a Facebook post by Councilmember Crowley's Democratic Party primary challenger, Robert Holden. The office of Councilmember Crowley did not answer a press inquiry for an interview for this report.

Speaking generally of the allegations of misconduct in the ballot petition signature collections of various reëlection campaign committees, Mr. Graziano said, "I see this as a systemic issue. It's not just this candidate," he said, referring to Councilember Vallone.

According to information obtained by Progress Queens, there have been allegations that various campaign committees, including that of Councilmember Vallone, may have engaged in violations of regulations governing ballot petition signature collection four years ago. The allegations of violations have extended to the current election cycle, according to a source.

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This stupid process of collecting signatures could be changed by the powers that be, but it was set up to discourage non-Machine candidates from running. Therefore, it is the people's duty to hold the Machine's feet to the fire when they fail to abide by the system they set up.

33 comments:

(sarc)
said...

It is interesting and entertaining when one watches these entrenched swamp creatures being challenged, and eaten by their own cohorts using the twisted arcane rules and processes created to protect the vile foul festering swamp...

Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules." If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules.

Hey kids, know how you can have a shot at changing enshrined election law overcoming the "powers that be"? A Constitutional Convention. How convenient that we have it on the referendum section of the ballot this year, whether the "powers that be" want it or not! Use your voice!

Graziano's challenge will be rejected by the court. Some years ago, John Messer challenged Toby Stavisky's signatures, with proof that some signatures were collected from deceased people. His challenge went nowhere.

Dizzy Lizzy doesn't even suspect anythingand Uncle Joe will fix itJoe likes her screwing her little districtDiz can't cause too much trouble thereshe's driving the few republicans left out to other statesguaranteed lock step vote in the councilperfect politician, keeps babbling about nothinif she's not reelected Lord only knows what she'll do or office she'd run forbet Uncle Joe is already worried what to do with her when her terms are up i guess hoping BdB plays the Doomberg game for another extra term for all remember u heard it here first

You will not win unless you have the money to take it as far as Federal Appeals Court. Perry Reich did and they found a way to put him in jail and take his license. The kangaroo courts of New York State are totally fraudulent. This is where Venezuela and Cuba learned how to do it.

I was at the Fort Totten Fireworks...and saw kids actually asking folks to sign petitions....it was clear Vallone thought no one would care or notice...nor did he think Graziano supporters would be there to watch. He's a slimeball...and needs to go.

I was at the Fort Totten Fireworks...and saw kids actually asking folks to sign petitions....it was clear Vallone thought no one would care or notice...nor did he think Graziano supporters would be there to watch. He's a slimeball...and needs to go.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------He expects its Vallonia where that Immac crowd exchanges dreamy pix of muscle cars on Shore Drive back in the 70s. They are the type that sell out to a developer who craps all over their friends they grew up with and the nabe they wax nostalgic over. When you ask them they have dumb peasant look as they shrug over 'wandagonnado?' on the way to a Kiss concert with their dumpy middle aged wife. No wonder the hipshits are eating their community alive.

People video everything on their smartphones these days. Don't you think someone would have video of this if it happened? Should be easy.. Hundreds of people videoing their cute kids before the fireworks.

Hey kids, know how you can have a shot at changing enshrined election law overcoming the "powers that be"? A Constitutional Convention. How convenient that we have it on the referendum section of the ballot this year, whether the "powers that be" want it or not! Use your voice!

Funny you sould bring that up. A friend who lives in Manhattan showed me her newsletter from her state senator. Guess what? the Constitutional Convention is page one. Here? Tiresome drivel on serving the needs of the south Tibetan community and the coolness of mystery meat from Cameroon is the order of the day.

The other thing that hit me - take a look at JVB newsletter - oversized, overbright and glossy, with Jimmy's picture in every article - 15 photos! count 'em!

It is basically shilling for all the things that Jimmy does for his community (he brings culture to the LIC desert - who knew?). Its the source of all the tiresome shill pieces we see in the Queens weeklies. It has no real news like the Convention. Queens, again, is out of the loop.

By way of comparison, my friend in Manhattan has a newsletter from her politician that actually regards his constituents as more than 4th Graders - but as adults.

ITS FULL OF USEFUL NEWS. IT TALKS ABOUT COMMUNITY PRESERVATION AND QUALITY OF LIFE. ITS NOT ABOUT HIM. HIM. HIM.

Correct me if I'm wrong because it's been many moons since I was a student volunteer for a campaign, but I am of the belief that so long as an adult registered member of the party is present/accompanying, teens can get signatures? I did this years ago as a teen and remember one of my friend's moms coming with us from door to door. What's the official rule?

Correct me if I'm wrong because it's been many moons since I was a student volunteer for a campaign, but I am of the belief that so long as an adult registered member of the party is present/accompanying, teens can get signatures? I did this years ago as a teen and remember one of my friend's moms coming with us from door to door. What's the official rule?

It all depends on the level of direct supervision. If you have an enrolled party member able to claim that they *actually* witnessed the signatures then thats fine. This looks more like they didnt have enough adult volunteers so they just sent out a bunch of highschoolers without adults and hoped that nobody noticed.

If the person collecting the signature is in the direct line of sight of a registered democratic voter, and the registered voter witnesses the signatures being collected, it is OK. And if the person signing the petition is a registered voter in the candidate's district, who correctly fills out their info and physically signs the sheet, the signature counts toward the total collection.

Every smart campaign would utilize an opportunity to speak with voters and gain signatures at a public event where a registered voter can carry and witness signatures... In contrast, a desperate candidate might challenge another candidate's signatures (regardless of any real suspicion) just to attempt to sway the public perception. Believe what you may, but the incumbent has been around long enough to know how to collect signatures properly and in my opinion this may be a case of 'fakes news'

"If the person collecting the signature is in the direct line of sight of a registered democratic voter, and the registered voter witnesses the signatures being collected, it is OK. "That is clearly not what Vallone's people did and why it is being challenged.

"And if the person signing the petition is a registered voter in the candidate's district, who correctly fills out their info and physically signs the sheet, the signature counts toward the total collection."

Many out of district signatures and non-Democrats signed. Those do not count.

"Believe what you may, but the incumbent has been around long enough to know how to collect signatures properly and in my opinion this may be a case of 'fakes news'"

The incumbent never had his signatures scrutinized before. As Louis Flores' article stated, these "mistakes" likely happened last time which is why he thought he could get away with them again.

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